


A Chance At Happiness

by sharpiesgal (TigerLily)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clint Needs a Hug, Multi, Nightmares, Phil Needs a Hug, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 00:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2753402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerLily/pseuds/sharpiesgal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and Phil are in a long standing relationship. One day they realize that they need more and decide to add another person to their relationship. The person they set their caps for is Steve Rogers, an old friend, and with the help of another friend they finally work up the courage to ask him to join them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Chance At Happiness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ereshai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ereshai/gifts).



> My recipient asked for a Clint/Phil/Steve fic and this is what the Muse came up with. I hope they enjoy it.

Clint leaned in the doorway of the kitchen and watched Phil work the crossword in that morning’s paper while a cup of coffee sat on the table beside him growing cold. He knew with certainty that his lover hadn’t slept another night through, but wasn’t certain how to broach that subject with Phil since he didn’t want to add to Phil’s stress level.

“You can stop hovering anytime now,” Phil said pitching his voice so Clint could hear him since he knew Clint wasn’t wearing his hearing aide.

Clint rolled his eyes and retorted with, “I’m not hovering. I’m lurking.”

“There’s a difference?” Phil asked as he turned to face Clint.

“Of course there is.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“Hovering implies that I’m concerned for your physical and mental well-being, whereas lurking implies I’m loitering with the intent of doing something illegal,” Clint explained as he pushed off the door jam and padded into the kitchen on silent feet.

“In that case, make certain you don’t get caught, because the bail fund is non-existent at the moment,” Phil quipped before taking a sip of coffee and grimacing annoyed with himself for letting it grow cold.

“You’re not as funny as you think you are,” Clint remarked with a shake of his head in dismay.

Phil shrugged and returned to his puzzle.

Clint softly sighed. He caught hold of Phil’s cup and dumped it in the sink along with the pot Phil probably had made when he had bolted from their bed, because in his book cold coffee was something to be avoided at all costs.

Phil didn’t bother to look up and protest the waste since they were on a limited budget and that told Clint all he needed to know about Phil’s state of mind.

He pulled out a chair and settled into it once he got a fresh pot of coffee brewing. “What was it this time, and don’t you dare tell me it was nothing,” he firmly said tossing the conversational ball into Phil’s court.

Phil looked up and simply said, “I dreamt that you died that day at the checkpoint.”

Clint didn’t know how to respond to such a blunt confession since he was use to Phil being cagey about the subjects of his nightmares. He reached out and caught hold of Phil’s hand and gave it a squeeze instead.

Phil squeezed back in return grateful to have such an understanding partner. He knew if it hadn’t been for Clint he wouldn’t have survived his initial injury let alone make it through rehab.

They stayed that way until the coffee maker beeped letting them know that it was finished brewing.

Clint let go first. He had to get moving or he would be late for work. He got up and poured them each a cup. He handed Phil his and said, “Don’t let this one grow cold as you ponder the whys and wherefores of your continued existence.”

“Why do I continue to keep you around?” Phil countered between sips.

“I make you laugh.”

“There must be more to it than that.”

“I’m great in bed.”

Phil snorted in derision. “You better get moving before I’m forced to disprove that point.”

“You wish,” Clint quipped, but hurried from the kitchen in case Phil decided to follow through with his threat.

*&*

Phil removed his glasses and tossed them unto the manuscript he was currently editing wishing he wasn’t because in his opinion the damn thing was nothing but regurgitated crap. It had given a headache an hour in, and that headache was threatening to turn into a full blown migraine.

He sighed and pushed away from his desk. He stood up and paced the small confines of his office wishing he was home with Clint watching some bad sci-fi movie instead of attempting to read about a gay couple doing that.

He was on his fifth circuit when his phone rang. He quickly answered it. “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t eviscerate you for this crappy book, Stark.”

“One,” Clint said barely keeping from laughing. Tony Stark was bane of Phil’s working existence, and the man knew it and derived great joy from it. “I’m not Tony and two; I have news that will cheer you up.”

“Sorry,” Phil murmured. “Stark unloaded a turkey on me, and now Nick expects me to make it look amazing.”

“Sounds like you could use a break.”

“I could use one,” Phil admitted. “Unfortunately, I’ve got a looming deadline.”

“You know what Douglas Adams said about deadlines.”

“Yes, and as much as I would like to let this one slide by I can’t,” Phil countered. “Now, what’s your news?”

“Steve’s in town,” Clint joyfully announced. He had been on cloud nine since his friend and co-worker, Natasha Romanov had told him five minutes after he arrived for his shift at the Banner Rehabilitation Center.

“That’s nice,” Phil murmured. He would be pleased to see Steve. It had been a few months since they had last seen the other man.

“Well that was enthusiastic,” Clint quipped sarcastically. His little voice was screaming at him to not push Phil on this, but he ignored it.

“Do you know for how long?”

“Tasha didn’t say. She just invited us to dinner.”

“I don’t know,” Phil hedged. He still had a fair amount of work to do on Stark’s manuscript plus he wanted to stop by and speak with his therapist about his reoccurring nightmares

“Dump the turkey on one of your junior editors and come have fun,” Clint hopefully suggested. It was hard to get Phil to ditch work, but he figured dinner with Steve would do the trick since Phil had been enamored with Steve from their first meeting in rehab. “Maybe we can work up the courage to ask Steve to join us.”

“That’s a nice thought,” Phil said as he settled behind his desk once again doing exactly as Clint suggested. It had been months since they had last seen Steve and if he was truthful with himself, he truly missed the other man when he wasn’t around. “But, I don’t want to push since he may not be finished mourning Barnes.”

“Alright,” Clint sighed. He was tired of Phil ruining their chance at true happiness with Steve by being overly cautious. He well understood Phil’s desire to not be rejected, but in his book it was better to ask and get an answer than spend his life pining in the dark. “But, I’m warning you now, if there is an opening, I’m taking it.”

“Do as you wish,” Phil muttered in annoyance. He wasn’t going to let Clint draw him into their old argument about how good it would be to have Steve in their lives. He knew it would be good, but he didn’t want to be rejected or ruin a good friendship.

“I’ll see you at Tasha’s,” Clint said hearing the annoyance in Phil’s voice and endeavoring to ignore it. “Dinner’s at seven.”

*&*

Phil rang Tasha’s doorbell a few minutes after seven. He had an apology waiting on the tip of his tongue and a bottle of Tasha’s favorite wine to make up for his tardiness.

Tasha opened the door with a warm smile. “Good evening, Phil.”

“Tasha,” he said handing over the wine. “Sorry, if I’m late.”

“You’re early,” she said stepping back to let him enter.

“Clint told me seven.”

“He knows how you get when dealing with Tony and his piss poor attempts at fiction,” she told him setting the wine aside so she could take his coat and hang it in her hall closet. “Besides, Steve got stuck doing a press conference at the last minute, so I pushed dinner back an hour.”

“I see,” Phil murmured.

“Don’t be mad at Clint.”

“I’m not.”

“Phil,” Tasha sighed.

“Where is he anyway?” Phil asked hoping to change the subject before he poured his heart out to her.

“In the kitchen keeping an eye on dinner,” Tasha replied with a wry smirk. “And before you ask, yes, it is wise since he’s a better cook than you.”

“That’s harsh,” Phil muttered as he made his way over Tasha’s overstuff wingback chair and settled into it with an uncharacteristic sigh.

“Truth often is,” Tasha reminded him.

Phil shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that sentiment since he often used it on his junior editors as well as a certain billionaire turned novelist.

“So what did Clint do this time?”

“Who said he did anything?”

“He’s hiding in the kitchen and you are sitting in here looking grumpier than usual,” Tasha replied. “So spill.”

“I resent that description.”

“Spill.”

“Fine,” Phil huffed in annoyance. “Clint wants to ask Steve to join us.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“There are a lot of reasons,” Phil explained. “The first one being that he could still be mourning Barnes.”

“Steve was over him before he passed away, so what are the other reasons?”

“I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“And?” Tasha pushed.

“I’m not certain I know how to make a three way relationship work.”

“You won’t be doing all of the work, Phil,” Clint pointed out having quietly entered the room as Phil and Tasha had been talking. “I, you and Steve will have to talk and work things out in order to make the relationship last.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Phil quickly retorted.

“It’s not simple,” Tasha remarked. “Everyone has to pull their fair share of the weight to make it work, but it is worth it in the end.”

“Voice of experience?” Clint gently asked. He already knew the answer since polyamorous relationships had come up as a topic of conversation once he had seen the picture of Tasha’s lovers taped inside her locker door.

Tasha rewarded him with a knowing look, but answered his question anyway. “Yes, and you know who my lovers are.”

“We do?” Phil asked still processing the fact that Tasha was in a relationship let alone a polyamorous one.

“You do,” Tasha confirmed.

“Pepper and Maria,” Clint supplied in an attempt to keep the conversation going since he knew Phil was too polite to ask.

“Um...wow...okay,” Phil mumbled completely lost for words.

Clint bit back a chuckle since he knew he was close to sleeping on the couch for his behavior since finding out that Steve was in town.

Tasha softly chuckled quietly amused by Phil’s speechlessness and Clint’s cat-who-ate-the-canary grin. “What a pair of idiots, you are,” she murmured.

“Hey!” Clint protested. “I take exception to that!”

“Of course you do,” Tasha retorted as she smoothly rose from the couch. “Now come help me put the finishing touches on dinner since Steve will be here any moment.”

Clint grumbled under his breath, but followed Tasha into the kitchen giving Phil time to regain his composure and process everything Tasha had revealed to him.

*&*

Phil had finally regained his composure and was getting ready to join Tasha and Clint when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” he called into the kitchen and turned his steps toward the front door. 

He plastered a smile on his face and opened the door. “Good evening, Steve.”

“Good evening, Phil,” Steve said in return.

Phil stepped aside and let Steve enter Tasha’s modest home. “I hope you’re hungry,” he said as he took Steve’s leather jacket and added it to his and Clint’s coats in the hall closet.

“Always,” Steve quipped with a grin. His never ceasing appetite was a running joke when they were in rehab together.

“How was the press conference?”

“Tedious,” Steve replied. “They spent more time grilling Stark then asking me questions.”

“They’ll get better once your second book comes out.”

“I hope so,” Steve murmured. “Stark is such a prima donna.”

“That is something we can both agree on,” Phil remarked with a wry grin. “Let’s go see if dinner is ready or if we’ll have to call for take-out.”

“You have such faith in people, Phil. It’s almost amazing.”

“Once burnt. Twice shy,” Phil said with a shrug and headed toward the kitchen.

Steve softly chuckled, but quickly followed in Phil’s footsteps.

*&*

Dinner turned out to be nice. Clint and Tasha’s cooking skills had improved since the early days of their friendship. Phil had been pleasantly surprised, which caused everyone to chuckle at him. He took it in stride.

Tasha excused herself at one point to retrieve dessert giving Clint the opportunity he desired yet feared.

“Steve,” he began.

“Yes,” Steve replied.

“Phil and I have been wanting to ask you something for a long time,” Clint continued.

“What?”

“As you know,” Phil said picking up where Clint left off. “We have been in a stable relationship for some years now.”

Steve nodded.

“We do love each other, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more, and we were wondering if you would be interested in joining us,” Clint quickly finished.

“Yes,” Steve answered not having to even think about it.

“Really?”

“Yes, I would love to join you,” Steve replied. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage to ask you, but you beat me to it.”

“What about Barnes?” Phil asked. He needed to know he wasn’t going to have to compete with a ghost.

“He ended up being not the person I once thought he was, so we parted and remained friends until the bitter end.”

Phil nodded his head in silent understanding.

“So where do we go from here?” Clint asked breaking the tension that had suddenly developed between them.

“You stay and have dessert,” Tasha supplied as she returned with said dessert. She set the tray onto the coffee table and handed out small bowls of ice cream and cake.

“And then what, oh wise one?” Clint teased between bites of his dessert.

“You take Steve home and fuck like rabbits,” Tasha retorted with a wick grin.

Phil groaned.

Clint rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Steve blushed.

Tasha laughed wickedly.

The End


End file.
